By the end of 2017, the number of emails sent daily averaged 269 billion. With so many emails flooding inboxes, it’s pretty common to wonder if our emails are as effective as they can be, or even read at all.

I’m hooked on InVision App emails. As a visual designer here at ONTRAPORT, I get these emails several times a week, and I open every single one. To me, they are catchy, relevant and oddly whimsical. They focus on topics that I find extremely interesting and use clever CTAs that make me want to click just because they are entertaining (but honestly, who wouldn’t want to click “How to Order Pizza” on an article about Alexa?).

InVision App has me wrapped around its finger. It knows its audience and its audience’s interests. This recent obsession with a company’s weekly newsletter proves a pretty neat point: It’s still possible to fully capture the attention of your reader via email, and the key isn’t just good design or great inbox placement — though those two things definitely do help.

To this day, despite the endless “email is dead” claims, email still remains one of the best channels for consistently reaching customers. While it’s natural to assume that social media is the better way to go, the numbers say otherwise: 90% of emails sent reach their intended inbox, but only 2% of Facebook posts reach the top of a user’s feed. Additionally, 4.24% of visitors from email marketing buy something compared to 2.49% of visitors from search engines and 0.59% from social media.

So, yeah, email is pretty important. It’s more effective than social media, and you’ve got a higher chance of gaining a sale through email.

Now, the big question isn’t “Why email?” It’s “How do I get my email read?” By the end of 2017, the number of emails sent daily averaged 269 billion. With so many emails flooding inboxes, it’s pretty common to wonder if our emails are as effective as they can be, or even read at all.

What’s the key to hooking your reader’s attention? It’s simple, really. The key is language. According to expert copywriter Liston Witherill, “Copy can boost your sales by almost 20 times on the same offer.”

In this article, we explore the basic principles of powerful copywriting, including how to write from your customers’ perspective, build trust, and craft a strong call to action. Here are our top five do’s and don’ts of email copywriting strategies to make sure your emails get opened and clicked on:

DO: MAKE IT ABOUT THEM

Writing great copy really isn’t about talking about yourself, your product or your business. Copywriting is about getting into your customers’ minds, figuring out what matters to them, and bridging the gap between their frustrations or interests and the solution/benefit your product provides.

In the case of InVision App, they know their audience is pretty techy and design-orientated, so they build trust by providing helpful tips in those departments and then follow through with demonstrating their product. You can do this too, and the steps are pretty simple.

Put Yourself in Your Customers’ Shoes

First, identify your customers. It helps to filter them into different buying personas. Try to look at the world from their perspective. What do they want more than anything? What is their life like on an average day? What are they hoping to accomplish? And finally, what are the biggest problems and pain points they are dealing with?

Give Them the Perfect Solution

Once you have a sense of your customers’ problems, concerns and interests, bridge the gap. Connect your product or service to them as the solution they’ve been looking for. Don’t be afraid to be specific. Show them exactly how you can help. However, keep in mind another important thing to note here — don’t just rattle off a long list of your features and expect them to understand. That brings us to our next point …

DON’T: BRAG

Have you ever been in an extremely one-sided conversation? Where it almost feels like a monologue, and you can barely get at word in? Maybe it’s just me, but I find those conversations extremely awkward and boring. The same applies to your email content.

Remember, connecting with your customers on an emotional level is much more effective when it comes to customer loyalty. Instead of just listing off your features, tell them about the benefits your product or service provides and how those benefits will positively impact their day-to-day.

According to Harvard Business Review, the top four motivators that drive consumer behavior are:

Stand out from the crowd.

Have confidence in the future.

Enjoy a sense of well-being.

Feel a sense of freedom.

How can your product or service benefit your customer in those aspects? Why would your customer want to use your product specifically? Keep it a two-way conversation.

DO: ATTRACT AND KEEP THEIR ATTENTION (ALSO, BE CONCISE.)

You’ve got all this amazing copy. You’ve written out your product benefits to a tee. Vague? Never. You’re as transparent as possible. There’s no way anyone could ever doubt your value to them.

What happens? Your customers take one look at the mountain of text and leave you in the dust. Or worse, they glance at your super descriptive and long subject line and don’t even bother opening it. Man, what a waste of time.

Keep Your Message Brief

It’s been proven that the standard reader only scans the first and last three words of a message — in other words, everything in between is pretty much white noise. This is huge. Don’t expect to be able to hold onto your readers’ attention for too long. Be as concise as possible, and don’t make your email longer than it needs to be.

Punch Up Your Subject Line (and Preheader)

David Ogilvy, the “Father of Advertising,” was a legend for good reason. According to Ogilvy, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar.”

While copywriting practices might have changed since his time, the importance of a good headline has not. So, how do you catch your customer’s eye?

Be helpful: Show the readers how they will benefit from reading your email.

Use numbers. Think about Buzzfeed. How many “15 Adorable Puppies for Your Monday” articles have you scrolled through? There’s a reason these articles are catchy. Even better, try it with odd numbers.

Use merge fields. Who doesn’t like seeing their own name in a subject line, or even better, the name of their pet? My two huskies are more than just my dogs; they’re my children. You can bet I’ll always click on something if I see their names.

For complete transparency, take a look at ONTRAPORT’s top 10 emails with the highest open rates. Can you relate any of these back to the tips above?

DON’T: BE GENERIC AND SALESY

Just because one big marketer had successful open rates with “EARN BIG $$ WHILE YOU SLEEP!” as their subject line doesn’t mean you should copy and paste that as your own.

While it’s easy to focus on clickbait headlines, the long-term quality of leads you gain from those clicks will be much worse. Keep in mind a lot of email marketing tips and tricks weren’t written for entrepreneurs and small business owners. You’ll come off as spammy and cheap. Your clients will lose trust and just like any relationship, trust once lost is hard to get back.

Your clients want to hear your voice, not a generic headline and message. Don’t be afraid to let your personality show through.

DO: CLOSE WITH INTENT

What is the purpose of your email? Remember the reason you’re writing email copy is to get your readers to take action. Are you trying to earn a purchase? Do you want to capture lead information? Are you trying to get people to attend a webinar or get more sign-ups for your education course?

Whatever the purpose of your email is, it’s important to have a single, clear call to action (CTA) and repeat it throughout your email. Spell it out in black and white, and tell them exactly what will happen once they take the action.

Here are some great examples:

Email is the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences, behind only colleague recommendations and industry-specific thought leaders. Additionally, email marketing systems are achieving $38 in ROI for every $1 spent. Yeah, you read that right — that’s 3,800%!

Jadyn graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a focus on Animation and concept art. She moved to Santa Barbara in 2012 with a goal of eventually working in the Los Angeles film industry, but quickly fell in love with graphic design instead. Outside of work, Jadyn spends her time traveling with her two huskies, toying around in other creative outlets, and sampling as much food and wine as humanly possible.